Sapphyre: Burden to Bare (The Sapphyre Saga Book 1)

by Felicia Leibenguth

  “No!” I said quickly in too loud of a tone that caused other students to look in my direction. I calmed my voice. “I’m not worried about her. So, don’t you worry.”

  Katrina and Mya are watching us like hawks. It’s like they’re watching the best movie ever, just minus the popcorn.

  He relaxed, even more, when I squeezed his hand again. “Okay, if you want. If she keeps bothering you though, I will say something.” He smiled devilishly, which made me wonder what he’s thinking. But my mind went to that smile and any sane thoughts I have whirling in my head disappeared.

  ***

  After Bree and I got home from school, I went to my room. Our parents aren’t home yet and I want to find something to wear for tomorrow. I know Zach isn’t coming to pick me up until six but I’m too hyped up to wait till tomorrow to find something to wear. I looked into my closet and don’t see a lot. Well, I see a lot, but nothing I really want. I keep my closet organized, I can’t say much for the rest of my room, but it’s nice to have one area clean. I have my t-shirts, jeans, long-sleeved shirts, and my dressy clothes organized in their own areas. I started looking through my dressy clothes first.

  Everything looks way too dressy, they’re too frilly for a movie and dinner in town. He said the Chinese place is no big deal. But is he telling the truth? I laughed at myself. I think I have some paranoia issues.

  I decided to pick out two outfits, one dressy and one casual. I’d wait till he pulled in and walk to the door to get dressed, as I have a good view of the driveway from my bedroom. I want to see how he dressed then I’d make my final decision between the two outfits. Sure, it would keep him waiting an extra few minutes, but I don’t care. I don’t want to look like a fool being dressed wrong and besides, it’s good to make guys wait. I don’t want to seem too anxious even though I will be… highly anxious.

  I kept looking and finally settled on my casual outfit. I’d wear my long sleeved, mauve shirt with the intricate flower design and a pair of plain jeans faded in the right spots. As for my dressy outfit… that’s much harder to figure out. I don’t want to be too dressy, yet, not dressy enough. It’s going to be a fine line to walk. But like all things, I will figure it out… eventually.

  I looked in the far back of my closet. I have some dresses I never really wear. The only time I wear a dress is if I go to a dance or another special occasion. That’s it. Well, I guess this would constitute as a special occasion, my very first date and there’s a very good chance, I hope, that I won’t need to wear it. So, I finally settled on a dress that came just above my knees. Its olive green and complimented nicely with my color skin making my eyes seem a little less bright, which is always good… for me that is. It’s a halter top with an open back that cut across below my shoulder blades. The front, cut to a low ‘V,’ but doesn’t show any cleavage, and it tied up around my neck. The long ribbons draped down my back to meet with the low cut back of the dress. A thin jeweled band sits high on my torso made of many green colored jewels creating a diamond pattern. Below the band, the dress gently fans out as it gradually releases my body and eventually falls to the top of my knees. The dress flows gracefully with every move I make. Out of all the dresses I own, I like this one the best. I want to keep the bruise hidden, so I also picked a white shall to wear to help hide it. Besides, being October, I’d need a light jacket, anyway.

  So now my outfits are done. What else is there to do? The only things I have left are painting my nails, toes included just in case I have to wear my sandals. Of course, take a shower and do my hair. But I can do that tomorrow. I have plenty of time now thanks to my pre-planning on outfits.

  I looked at the clock and almost had a stroke. It’s 9 p.m. already! I sighed aloud, nothing like spending five hours trying to find an outfit. I have some serious problems. I told myself that I didn’t want to get worked up like this. I still can’t figure out what it is about him that has me acting like some giddy little school girl. I always acted like an adult and now I’m panicking over what to wear. What is wrong with me!?

  I’m shocked out of my thoughts when I hear someone yell up the stairs.

  “Lexi, supper.” It’s mom. I didn’t hear her come home.

  “Coming,” I yelled. I hung my clothes up and headed downstairs.

  “Hi mom, when did you get home?” I asked a little confused. She’s already in her pajamas and has dinner on the table.

  “Oh, a couple hours ago. I went up and saw you rummaging through your closet. Find what you were looking for?” She asked with a smirk on her face.

  “Yeah, I did actually. Found exactly what I was looking for.” I smiled. “Why didn’t you say something when you got home? I would’ve made dinner.” I frowned at the plates on the table.

  “That’s okay. I have to cook to keep in practice you know. I might get rusty and I’m sure you need a break.” She laughed. “I didn’t want to interrupt your outfit hunting. You looked very focused throwing all your clothes on the bed.” She laughed again.

  “Nah, I don’t need a break and I picked out two outfits…” I continued to tell her my plan about waiting for Zach to show up to pick an outfit. She started to laugh hysterically and so did Bree. I had to join in too. I have to admit it’s a crazy plan, but a-girls-got-to-do, what-a-girls-got-to-do, I always say.

  Mom said she would try to be home in time to see me off with Zach. But secretly, I hope she won’t. I’m going to be nervous enough, and I don’t need her bringing out the baby books before I make it down the stairs. I don’t know if that’s exactly what she would do, but that’s what I’ve seen parents’ do on TV. I know dad won’t be here when Zach arrives. He’s coming home at midnight and leaving again at 5 p.m. That’s even more comforting than mom not being here. Dad is very protective of us and would probably sit Zach down giving him the third degree. Now, that’s an even scarier thought than mom being here and bringing out the baby books. I would welcome that with open arms over dad asking endless questions.

  I went to bed fairly early, well early for me. I knew if I stayed up late the TV could not hold my attention. I knew I would start stressing about tomorrow and never get to sleep. So, I started thinking about my pool back in Arizona again. It’s really the only thing that can calm me enough to go to sleep. I laid in bed awake a little longer than usual. The plans for tomorrow kept trying to creep into my thoughts and I fought against them. They almost won, but the calm pool water eventually washed over me and I fell into the darkness of sleep once more.

  Date

  I woke up with a jolt, sitting straight up in my bed grabbing for my heart. I can’t breathe and I gasped for air to fill my lungs. I’m like a fish out of water. My heart raced with panic that the dream left behind. I keep telling myself ‘It’s only a dream. Relax. It wasn’t real.’ I repeated in my head several times before my lungs and heart started to gradually work normally again. After a few minutes, I relaxed and laid back down on my bed. I had a nightmare which is rare for me. This one was so real I could feel it. It wasn’t a very detailed dream, very vague, but still, felt real.

  I was sitting in a car looking out the windshield. I don’t know who was driving or where I was. It didn’t look familiar to me, but as I gazed out the windshield, we were coming up to an intersection. We didn’t have a stop sign, but the opposing traffic did. We were getting closer when suddenly this tractor trailer comes out of nowhere. We were so close there was no time to stop. Suddenly, I wasn’t in my body anymore and everything went into slow motion. I was floating outside of the car looking at myself screaming… inside the car. That’s when I saw the dark hair of the driver. I still couldn’t tell who it was from that angle. I turned looking straight ahead at the tractor-trailer that we were about to collide with.

  We were inches away from impact when I woke up. I still had my hand over my heart and I could feel it slowing as my body realized I wasn’t in danger. I can finally breathe normally again. I never had a dream like that before and it freaked me out. Maybe it’s the st
ress building up about this date. It had to be. There’s no other explanation.

  Now I’m completely calm and myself again as I pushed the nightmare out of my mind. I looked over at my clock on the nightstand. It’s 11 a.m. That’s late for me, but I don’t mind sleeping in when possible. I stretched and yawned before I got up heading to the bathroom. My hair is a knotted mess. I must have been tossing in my sleep. Huh.

  I decided I would shower after I ate. I was hungry, so I went to the kitchen. Bree’s sitting on the floor by the TV eating a bowl of cereal. That sounded good, so I went to the cupboard grabbing a box of cereal, a bowl, and spoon. I grabbed the milk and headed for the living room, sitting on the sofa.

  “Morning sleepy head,” Bree said not looking away from the TV.

  “Yeah, by the looks of it, you slept in too,” I shot back.

  She just looked up at me and smiled.

  “So, is dad home?” I asked.

  “Yep, he’s crashed in bed and moms at work. She said to tell you that she will do her best to be home in time for tonight.” She didn’t look away from the TV, but her voice sounded a little strained toward the end.

  I ignored her tone. “Okay.”

  We sat in silence for a while eating our cereal and watching cartoons. It’s a quiet morning.

  After breakfast, I went to take a shower. It’s relaxing, and I forgot about my dream and my stress disappeared. That’s until I stepped out of the shower and remembered what I’m getting ready for. Then it came back with a force. I took a few deep breaths to relax and continued to get ready. I painted my nails with clear nail polish as it gave the shine I wanted. I left my hair in a towel while I painted my nails. I wasn’t sure what to do with my hair yet. Do I put it up? Leave it down? Do half up half down? Sigh. Guys have it so much easier. All they have to do is throw a hat on and walk out the door. Very few really did anything with it. They’re lucky.

  When my nails were dry, I had an idea of what I wanted to do with my hair. I put mousse in as usual and scrunched it with my hands, blow-dried and began to style it. I pulled all my hair back into a very loose ponytail allowing some loose hairs to fall around my face. I pulled down a few extra strands of hair and loosely curled them with the curling iron. Perfect! I rarely wear makeup, but I put on a little mascara and light brown eyeshadow, then some clear chapstick. Simple, easy, and just enough.

  Now there isn’t anything left to do other than to wait. I can’t get dressed until I see what he’s wearing. So, I’m stuck for the time being. I kept looking at my clock as I sat to do my homework assigned yesterday. The first time I looked it was 4:00 p.m., the second time 4:05 p.m., and the third 4:08 p.m. It feels like hours passing rather than minutes. It’s driving me crazy. I can’t concentrate on my homework either. Though, I never really expected as much.

  I gave up on the homework charade. I’m not getting anywhere with it anyway and it’s no distraction for me. Instead, I went to sit on my balcony through the double glass doors outside my room. It faces the front of the house and I have a great view of the hills and farms that cover the land. It’s a nice day today as I can actually see the sun and feel its warmth on my skin. It’s nice, almost like home. I sat in my purple cushioned chair as it’s one of my favorite spots to sit and relax on a nice day such as this one. I closed my eyes and let the sun warm my skin as my stress disappeared once again.

  My eyes flew open with the sound of the doorbell. I’m confused at first, as I look out into the driveway with blurry eyes; I see a car that I don’t recognize. To call it a car is an insult. It’s black, sleek, and definitely different. I stared for a moment then I heard Bree yell.

  “Zach’s here,” she called with a hint of an attitude.

  What?! Zach! It was just four! Where did the time go? I must have fallen asleep. I thought for a split second, Zach owns that car!? Did I miss something? Something else came into my mind in that second. I didn’t see what he was wearing and I don’t know what to wear! Well so much for that plan.

  My head started to hurt from the spinning thoughts. That’s new.

  I quickly yelled down, “I’ll be right there.”

  What am I going to wear!?

  Okay, I made a decision, and it’s based on the car he’s driving. I’m gonna wear the dress and so help me if I choose wrong. Talk about humiliation.

  Once dressed and decent, I headed leisurely for the stairs. I peered down before I started descending the steps. I want to see if I could catch what he’s wearing, but he’s too far off to the side. I slowly descended the steps, cringing at the thought I’m overdressed. Once I touched the bottom step, I looked up to see where Zach is. He isn’t looking at me yet. He’s looking around our house. His eyes are large and his mouth is slightly open, I doubt he realizes it. His face looks shocked like he didn’t expect what he is seeing. I looked around for a second trying to see through his eyes.

  Yes, I have to admit it’s beautiful and ‘big’ though big is an understatement. This place is huge, especially to someone who’s never been here before. The walls are white with pictures hanging in neat collages and dark wood beams cross the high ceiling covered in green ivy plants. A skylight between each of the eight large beams allows a ton of natural light into the house. The kitchen, dining room and living room connect, creating one large space. The only thing separating them is a half wall that comes up to the waist and lays between the living room and dining room. The cupboards in the kitchen, the dining table, coffee table, TV stand, pretty much all the wood in the house match the dark beams above, bringing everything together to look as one, to make everything fit. There are plants everywhere. Trees in corners and plants placed on shelves in exactly the right spots. Mom always loved to bring the outside in and she did a great job of it even though all the plants are fake. Mom can never really keep plants alive, so she opted for the fake ones. Either way, I’ve always told her she should be an interior designer. She would be awesome at it.

  After looking around for a few seconds, I looked at Zach who has yet to notice me. I see Bree out of the corner of my eye looking at Zach, then over at me smiling. I ignored her. I have a feeling I know what she’s thinking… ‘He knows your secret that you wanted to keep from everyone at school.’ I know exactly what that secret is. I want to hide the fact that we are… well, there’s no other word I can come up with right now, but yes, we are… wealthy. Uh, I hate that word. I don’t want anyone to know because if they do, they would be flocking to be my friend. I don’t want ‘fake’ friends that pretend to like me for our money. So, I’ll tell Zach to keep it a secret. Hopefully, he will understand.

  I focused on Zach. Though his face is shocked, he looks sweet, sincere and yet understanding. My eyes moved gently down his attractive, muscular body. I notice what he’s wearing and apparently, I’m not the only one to dress up for this occasion. I smiled slightly. Zach holds something in his hands, but that’s not my current focus. He’s wearing a white, long sleeve, button up shirt with the collar folded down and the top button undone. His shirt is tucked into his pants loosely, and his black slacks have an iron crease straight down the front. He has a thin, black, shiny belt around his waist with a silver buckle and his shoes are black and shiny as well, clearly, dress shoes. A wall of relief washed through me. I’m perfectly dressed, casual, but dressy at the same time, just as he is. I smiled a little wider.

  I finally pulled my eyes from his perfectly sculpted body to look up at his face. He’s looking at me with a wide smile, and I realize he would have seen me looking him over. I blushed, my cheeks burning. He isn’t looking into my eyes or my face. He’s looking at my dress, or that’s what I think he’s looking at. He’s looking me over just like I did him a moment ago. I laughed a little causing him to gaze into my eyes and smile widely. There’s that feeling again, the one that takes over my body every time he looks me in the eyes. I can stare into those deep, dark eyes forever, as if I’m falling into them, never finding a reason to want to leave. I would be happy to float forever
into those dark eyes.

  We continued to look at each other for a few more moments before Bree broke our trance on each other.

  “You better get going if you wanna eat before the movie.” She smiled, but not happily.

  “She’s right, but first, I got these for you,” Zach said smiling looking down at his hands. He’s holding a bouquet of flowers. They’re my favorites, pink and white stargazer lilies.

  “They’re beautiful Zach.” I feel like I’m about to tear up from his sweet gesture. “Thank you. Where did you get them this time of year?” I walked over and took the flowers, touching his warm hands in the process. He smiled, as did I. My hand became covered in goose-bumps where our skin connected. I lifted the flowers up to my face to smell the sweet fragrance.

  Zach smirked and laughed gently. “You have a little pollen… Here, I’ll get it.” He deliberately lifted his hand to my face and laid it against my cheek. With his thumb, he rubbed it over my nose to wipe away the pollen.

  As soon as our skin connected, my heart skipped a beat, then took off full speed. He grinned wider like he can hear my reaction to his touch. He probably can, it is rather loud.

  “And you’re welcome.” He moved his hand from my face reluctantly. “My mom has a greenhouse. She loves plants.” He looked around our house for a brief second and shrugged a little. “Are you ready to go?” He asked pleased.

  “Sure am. Let me put these in water first,” I said almost running into the kitchen. Bree looked at me with disgust. What is with her? I’m sure as soon as mom gets home, she’ll be blabbing everything, and right now I can care less. I’m leaving with the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen.

  Walking to his car, I can’t help but look at the design. I didn’t have time to study it from my balcony, with the panic overtaking everything else, but this car is stunning. It’s sleek and curvy wrapped up into one small, and I do mean small, package. It isn’t black like I first thought, but a deep blue that seems to change colors in the sun, depending on what angle the sun hit. The paint goes from deep blue to a deep purple in the light, its striking. I’ve never seen one like it around here or anywhere else for that matter. The headlights are round and stuck out a little from the front end. There are chrome grates over them and a chrome bumper. Chrome creases line the hood leading down to the head lights. As we walked closer, I noticed the top is made of a type of fabric. Black leather to be exact. It’s a convertible! Upon closer inspection, I actually see how small this car is. It’s only a two passenger, and those seats look close together, almost touching. To get my mind off the closeness of the seats, I looked at the front a little better. I saw a word written in cursive in the color of chrome on the end of the sloped hood. It reads Triumph. I never heard of it. I can’t help but ask.